Faith in Al-anon-Faith in God

It’s interesting how the subject of faith can interconnect with Al-anon and God. If you have been in any type of twelve step program then you realize that the steps are designed to bring us into a relationship with God. As they begin to work we start having an understand that faith is real and the results of having it are incredible.

Here’s the cool thing about being involved in Al-anon or any support group for that matter, the programs begin to work as soon as you step into a meeting. This is where faith begins. A stranger may meet you at the door with a smile and enter into a pleasant conversation with you. Then you begin to realize that they know a few things about alcoholism and there is something that they said which kinda sticks to you like glue. The meeting hasn’t even started yet and already something inside says; “I’m starting to feel better.”

That is the miracle of a support group beginning to happen. This is where the faith begins by interacting with healthy people in support groups regularly. For me the group was the Al-anon program. I started there over ten years ago. I still remember the first person I talked to and am actually still good friends with them today.

In the slow process of alcoholism loosing its power to dominate or thoughts and our lives is where faith is truly born. We begin to see one miracle after another happen through interacting with God and the program. This causes us to live in a real world of faith-expectancy. We start believing that when we attend meetings we will get exactly what we need to help us get through yet another day of dealing with alcoholism.

Once you begin to attend a support group meeting like Al-anon on a regular basis the wisdom of the program begins to get all over you and dealing with the alcoholic becomes much easier than it was. It’s a slow process that’s why it’s suggested that you should attended six meetings before you decide to either stay or not participate anymore.

I’ve heard this said many times, “Al-anon saved my life.” It was a combination of God and Al-anon that saved my life. By putting my faith in both, I learned how to live my life again joyfully.

Initially, when I started attending the support group meetings, I was at the point where I was ready to scream. My frustration level had reached its peek. It was either the alcoholic was going to have to move out or it was going to be me. Al-anon taught me how to live in the middle of active alcoholism and do it with a smile on my face.

It was the power of the program and my relationship with God that was helping me on a daily basis to cope with the devastation that was happening in our household. Utter ciaos is the only why to describe the life of the alcoholic I was living with at the time.

Today, I have faith that if I flip the light switch it’s going to come on. I also have this kind of faith in God and in Al-anon. If I can just get myself into a meeting, I will find something there that will help me get through the day. There’s a level of expectancy that something good is going to happen by entering into an Al-anon gathering. I also live in a life of expectancy with God as well. Everyday my faith in God causes me to talk to him. Most of the talking is just about letting go of difficult situations and trusting that he will give me the wisdom to manage the daily affairs of my life.